Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up (): Today, I am pleased to
announce the publication of the Freeports Delivery Roadmap, a
cross-Government blueprint for accelerating and amplifying the
delivery of our flagship Freeports programme.
Building on recent successes for the Freeports programme –
including the announcement that nearly £3 billion has already
been invested in Freeports, creating over 6,000 jobs – the
Roadmap sets out a range of areas in which Departments will go
further in supporting Freeports to create investable sites, land
investment, and build clusters and durable local economic growth.
It therefore focuses on all stages of Freeport delivery, from
securing investment to translating this into tangible, positive
impacts for local communities.
This is on top of the recent announcement of an extension of the
window to claim tax reliefs in English Freeports, from five to
ten years (subject to the agreement of delivery plans with each
Freeport), and a new £150 million Investment Opportunity Fund to
support Investment Zones and Freeports across the UK to secure
business investment opportunities.
The Government will also work with the devolved administrations
to agree how the ten year window to claim reliefs can be extended
to Freeports in Scotland and Wales.
In sum, the Government is backing Freeports: we are doing
everything in our power to deliver these new clusters in sectors
of the future, thereby creating sustainable, high-quality jobs
for communities across the UK.
